DA arrears relief, hike for priests: Mamata Banerjee's last-minute sops before West Bengal assembly polls announcement

About an hour before the announcement of the polling schedule for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared that her government would start clearing the pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears of state employees and pensioners from March this year.

The move will cover teachers, non-teaching staff and employees of grant-in-aid institutions.

She also announced a hike of ₹500 in the monthly honorarium provided to purohits and muezzins. Following the revision, beneficiaries will now receive ₹2,000 per month.

“I am happy to announce that our Ma-Mati-Manush government has delivered on its promise to all its employees and pensioners, and to lakhs of teachers and non-teaching staff of our educational institutions, as well as employees/ pensioners of our other grant-in-aid institutions like panchayats, municipal bodies, other local bodies etc. They will start receiving their ROPA 2009 DA arrears from March 2026 onwards as per the modalities detailed out in the Notifications issued by our Finance Department,” Banerjee said on X.

Calling the decisions as a fulfilment of the government’s commitments, the Chief Minister maintained that the Trinamool Congress remains dedicated to recognising, supporting and empowering every community and preserving their traditions.

In another post, she mentioned, “I am pleased to announce an increase of ₹500 in the monthly honorariums extended to our purohits and muezzins, whose service sustains the spiritual and social life of our communities. With this revision, they will now receive ₹2,000 per month. At the same time, all fresh applications that have been duly submitted by purohits and muezzins have also been approved by the State Government.”

Earlier on Friday, Mamata Banerjee had announced the formation of five new Cultural and Development Boards for marginalised sections in the state. In a post on X, she said the boards would be set up for the Munda (ST), Kora (ST), Dom (SC), Kumbhakar (OBC) and Sadgope (OBC) communities.

She noted that these bodies are intended to help preserve their distinct languages and cultural practices, while also facilitating better access to education, healthcare and employment opportunities. She further stated that the initiative aims to protect traditional rights and promote the overall socio-economic advancement of these communities.

West Bengal election dates

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday announced that polling for the 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal will take place in two phases, scheduled for April 23 and April 29.

The counting of votes for both phases will be held on May 4, and the entire election process is expected to be completed by May 6.

According to the ECI, the poll process for the first phase, which will cover 152 Assembly constituencies, will commence with the issue of the gazette notification on March 30. The deadline for submitting nomination papers for this phase has been fixed as April 6, while the scrutiny of nominations will be carried out on April 7. Candidates will have the option to withdraw their nominations until April 9.

For the second phase, involving 142 Assembly constituencies, the gazette notification is scheduled to be issued on April 2. The last date for filing nominations for this phase will be April 9, and the scrutiny process will take place on April 10. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until April 13.

(With inputs from ANI)